A Salty Reunion
by mattTheWriter072
Summary: Since moving in to the factory, Charlie Bucket rarely went outside in order to avoid unwanted attention from the general public. One day, he decides to go for a short walk, and along the way, he sees a familiar face. (2005 version)
1. An Unexpected Encounter

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory franchise or any characters associated with the franchise. All rights belong to Roald Dahl, Tim Burton, and Warner Bros. Pictures. This is not my intellectual property, and no financial gain is made from this nor will be sought. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter 1 - An Unexpected Encounter

 **Author's note: Hello, everyone! I'm still working on Chapter 20 of my story, "Next in Line", and I'm taking the time to make it as good as it can possibly be. That's why it's taking so long. In the meantime, I thought I should write a short story about Charlie and Veruca, since they're essentially who I ship. (Then again, that was the motive behind my story "Where All the Bad Nuts Go".) Most of the story has already been written, so I'll be publishing chapters daily, maybe with a day or two in between chapters, but no longer than that. Without further ado, let's begin.**

 **Note: this is NOT a sequel to "Where All the Bad Nuts Go". That story will be written later.**

~Charlie's POV~

Two entire years have passed since my family called Willy Wonka's chocolate factory their home. To an outsider, I might have looked like an ordinary boy, but that couldn't have been any further from the truth. In reality, I was Mr. Wonka's apprentice and the heir of the factory. It took effort to convince him to allow my family to move in along with me, which included a somewhat awkward meeting with his dentist father, but now that we were all comfortably settled, I couldn't have been any happier. Recently, however, I began to feel a tad lonely, since I haven't been to a public school with people my age for over two years. Instead, my typical school courses, including math, science, and geography (to name a few), were taught by the Oompa Loompas.

I turned thirteen just over a month ago, and now that I was officially a teenager, I wanted more than ever to be friends with someone my own age. While I was not alone by any means, with Willy Wonka as my mentor, as well as my entire family and the Oompa Loompas to keep me company, I still wanted to at least get out and socialize with others, like nearly anyone else my age would.

Like Mr. Wonka, I rarely went out in public in order to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Even when I was dressed in a normal winter coat, or a T-shirt and jeans, the people who lived down the street from the factory were able to recognize me as Wonka's heir, and they always wanted to take their picture with me. Therefore, it wasn't often that I actually took the time to go outside and walk around the neighborhood. I decided that today would be one of those days. I needed some fresh, outdoor air, not the recycled, filtered air that circulated around the factory.

I decided to wear an olive-green winter jacket, light-brown jeans, and black boots. I left the factory through one of the inconspicuous side doors that were used as emergency exits, and I flinched as the chilly winter air hit my face like a ton of bricks. The wind was relatively calm, but it was cold enough to sting my eyes as I walked against the current. Tiny, white snowflakes were drifting in the air, similar to those at Fudge Mountain.

I turned to the left and strolled down the sidewalk that was directly in front of the factory, as I had done countless times during my childhood. I slowly tilted my head back, letting my eyes steadily travel up the gray courtyard wall, and they focused on the very top of one of the smokestacks, which was belching thick clouds of white smoke into the air. Of course, the one thing that was better than the sight of the building was the smell of what was being produced inside it. I took a deep, long breath with my eyes closed, letting the rich scent of melted chocolate fill my lungs, just like I had done countless times as a child.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" a female voice spoke nearby. I turned my head towards the source of the voice, and I noticed a girl standing near me, who seemed to be about my age. She was also looking up at the factory, breathing in the wonderful smell that pervaded the air for a mile in every direction. She had long, dark-brown hair that was softly blowing in the wind, bright-blue eyes, and a pale complexion. She wore a red winter jacket with a fur-lined hood, blue designer jeans, and black leather shoes.

"I remember standing in this very spot like it was yesterday, but I was a much different person than I am now," she continued, speaking with a posh, upper-class British accent. "I used to be given everything I could have possibly wanted, but my parents have become a lot stricter since then. I've grown to appreciate all the little things we have right now, and I learned to focus on the present instead of begging for the future."

"I remember standing in this very spot, too," I said, "and I remember you. I bet you don't remember me." The girl initially shook her head and blankly stared at me, but soon enough, a smile spread across her face once she realized who I was.

"You were the poor, scrawny kid who went along with us on the tour, right?" she asked. "Your grandpa worked here?" I grinned at her in response. "Charlie Bucket, is that really you?"

"Yes," I replied, "that would be me. Long time no see, Veruca. I'm glad to hear you've changed for the better. Shall we talk?"

 **Author's note: I want to thank Cyatts for coming up with the basic ideas and plot for the story. I hope you all enjoyed what I have written so far, and stay tuned for the next chapter! :)**


	2. What Happened After the Tour

Chapter 2 - What Happened After the Tour

 **Author's note: Hey everyone, I'm back! I see that I received some reviews for the first chapter, so I'll respond to them right now.**

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993, I'm glad you liked the first chapter. As for the answer to your question, you'll find out shortly!**

 **TheIndividualist, Veruca has indeed changed. You'll find out in this chapter how it came to be. :)**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, that's actually my favorite part as well. You'll find out the answers to your questions as the story progresses.**

 **Linkwonka88, I'm glad you like it so far. As for stories involving Charlie and Violet, I'm sure dragonserpent18 has a few that will be satisfying to you.**

 **Softkitty55, you'll find out what's in store for the two of them soon! Now, on with the story! :)**

~Veruca's POV~

It took a few seconds for me to realize that the boy I was talking to was really Charlie Bucket. He sure looked different than he did during the tour.

His body was no longer frail and skinny like it used to be. Instead, he was of a healthy build, and he stood about half a head taller than me, even though I recently went through a growth spurt myself. His hair was still chocolate brown, but it was a tad longer than before. He styled it into a bob, just like Willy Wonka. His olive-green eyes looked just as curious and lively as they did when I first saw him two years ago.

"So, uh, Veruca," Charlie said, "I'm just curious as to what brought you here, of all places. Is your family on vacation, or something?"

"We actually moved here," I told him. "It's a long story, though. Ever since those bloody squirrels sent me tumbling down the rubbish chute, I realized how much of a fool I had been for my entire life until then. My parents realized this as well, and they became more strict towards me. I guess that's what happens when spoiled, rich people are thrown away with the rubbish. The problem is, the rubbish that I was thrown into was so rotten and disgusting that not even a bath could wash away the smell. It definitely helped to suppress it, and it is nearly gone, but as far as I know, it might never fade away completely." I turned my back to Charlie and looked down at the ground, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"I can't smell anything, don't worry," Charlie said. "Then again, the garbage chute in the Nut Sorting Room probably smells a hundred times worse than that, and I have to check on the squirrels daily, with a little help from the Oompa Loompas. Therefore, I'm used to the smell by now." I hesitantly turned around to face him.

"That makes me feel slightly better," I said with a smile. "But even though _you_ can't smell anything, my mother, as well as all the maids and butlers who lived in our mansion, could sense the smell that followed Daddy and me wherever we went. We became the laughingstock of Buckinghamshire, and that damaged our reputation so much that Daddy had to sell his nut business to someone else, as well as our home. As if that wasn't bad enough, my parents' marriage quickly turned sour, and my mom filed for divorce. I did love her, but she wasn't nearly as involved in my life as Daddy was. Daddy would get me anything I wanted, and she would just sit around, drinking wine. Daddy decided that a change of lifestyle was in order, for my own good, as well as his. He searched all across North America for work, and he managed to land a well-paying job at a nut factory about fifteen miles away from here, with plenty of opportunities for advancement. Nobody there seems to be bothered by the smell that lingers around him, so I'd say that we are good for at least the next little while. I guess I've said enough about myself now. How's life been going for you, Charlie?"

"Well, I'm sure you remember how it said on the Golden Tickets that one of the winners will receive a special prize beyond your wildest imagination," Charlie said. "The reason Mr. Wonka held the contest was actually so that he could find an heir to the factory." I stared at him, dumbfounded.

"You mean, _you're_ the heir to Wonka's factory? You live there now?"

"Yes," Charlie said quietly. "I am. Willy Wonka sent out five Golden Tickets to invite five children to the factory, and the one who behaved the best would be the winner."

"Way to go, Charlie," I said warmly. "You deserved it."

"Thank you," Charlie replied. "Out of the other four children, you definitely seem to have improved the most. However, the others have gotten better as well, according to when I last called them two weeks ago. After what Augustus had been through, he quit eating candy for more than a year, and now he only eats a small amount once per day. Violet is still chewing gum, although her mother is no longer cheering on her like she used to. Also, her skin returned to its normal color, but she's still very flexible. As for Mike, he still plays video games and watches TV, albeit for shorter amounts of time. He's become more physically active, and in fact, he's now involved in the track and field team at his school. He also shrunk back to his normal height within a week."

"I'm glad to hear that everything has turned out for the better," I said. "If I wouldn't have gone on impulse and attempted to grab one of Mr. Wonka's squirrels, I could have won the grand prize. However, I'm still very glad it was you, considering you came from such humble beginnings."

"Veruca, I would say thank you, but I really don't like bragging about my newfound status, or how I 'rose up' from where I was," Charlie told me. "All I want is to be a person who contributes to the world in a good way."

"As do I," I replied. "You wouldn't have caught me dead saying those three words just two years ago, but here I am, and I said them. So, Charlie, what shall we do now?"

"Would you like me to show you around the factory again, to see the recent changes that have taken place?" Charlie said, pressing his thumb against a nearby fingerprint scanner, and the enormous iron gates that led into the courtyard slowly began to open. "I'd be more than happy to do so. Besides, I can see you're not wearing gloves or mittens. Your fingers must be freezing."

I simply nodded, and we began to walk across the courtyard towards the wall with the three entrance doors. The gates slowly closed behind us with a loud clang. Once we reached the doors, Charlie placed his hand on a scanner, and the door in the middle automatically opened for us to enter.

"No creepy puppet show this time? Thank goodness," I said, feeling immensely relieved. "I've been having nightmares about it, as well as the squirrel attack, for at least three months after I came back home from the tour."

Charlie laughed. "Don't worry, Veruca, there's none of that this time. You'll enjoy what's to come, I'm sure." As soon as he finished his sentence, the door closed behind us, sealing us from the outside world.

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have any ideas as to where Charlie and Veruca should go, don't hesitate to leave a few in the comments. I'll be busy over the weekend, so I probably won't be publishing the next chapter until Sunday or Monday. Stay tuned for that. :)**


	3. Back in the Factory

Chapter 3 - Back in the Factory

 **Author's note: Hi everyone! I'm just letting you know that this is a transitional chapter, so it will be very short. Let's get on with your reviews:**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, JOHNHAMMOND1993, and Linkwonka88, thanks for the suggestions! They will definitely be visiting some of those rooms, plus a few more that I have in my mind... :)**

 **TheIndividualist, I'm pleased to know that you're enjoying the story. I really liked the latest chapter of your story, by the way. I'll review that shortly. :)**

 **Softkitty55, you'll find out soon! Now, on with the story!**

~Charlie's POV~

"Just drop your coat anywhere," I told Veruca as we stepped foot in the Entrance Hall, which looked the exact same as it did two years ago. We hastily unzipped our jackets and threw them onto the floor, and I heard Veruca breathe a sigh of relief.

"I almost forgot how nice and warm it is inside the factory," she said as we began to walk down the long hallway. "At least that's one aspect of the tour that I actually liked."

"Well, I'm glad you did," I told her. "Then again, the Oompa Loompas just can't stand the cold, so we have to keep it warm in here. I'm sure you remember Mr. Wonka telling us that before."

"You'll be surprised at how much I remember from the first tour, Charlie," Veruca told me. "I've been having nightmares about this place at least three times a week!"

"Well, you don't _have_ to continue the tour if you don't want to," I said, but Veruca shook her head almost immediately.

"I do," she replied. "I really do want to keep going. It's called facing your fears, and that's what I'm doing right now, so that I can continue to grow into a stronger person."

"Well then, let's keep on truckin'," I said with a smile.

Before long, the corridor was getting narrower and narrower as we approached the end.

"I remember that door," Veruca said, pointing to the one-inch tall door in front of me. "It was to keep all the great big chocolatey flavor inside, if I recall correctly."

"You truly have a great memory, Veruca," I said. I pulled out a set of keys and inserted the smallest one into the tiny door's keyhole before turning the handle. "I'm sure you remember what's behind this door."

"Oh, yes, I remember," Veruca replied, nodding. "The Chocolate Room, where Augustus fell in the river. Am I correct?"

"You _are_ correct," I said, "but you should know that sometimes, things aren't always how you might expect or remember them to be." I slowly extended my arm forward and proceeded to open the tiny door. Instead, the entire wall swung to the side, and Veruca gasped in astonishment as she feasted her eyes on the room before us.

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll publish the next one tomorrow or on Wednesday. Stay tuned! :)**


	4. Revisiting the Chocolate Room

Chapter 4 - Revisiting the Chocolate Room

 **Author's note: Hello, readers! I bet you didn't expect to see an update for this story, hm? Well, here it is, and it's also response time.**

 **Softkitty55, yes, Veruca is a trooper, all right. I'm glad you loved the quotes from the previous chapter. Thanks!**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, you'll find out shortly!**

 **TheIndividualist, I'm glad to hear that! There will be some more character development in this chapter.**

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993, Veruca won't be seeing Mr. Wonka yet, but eventually they'll run into him.**

 **avidrewader, hmmm, I may or may not include that later. Now, on with the story!**

~Veruca's POV~

True to Charlie's word, the Chocolate Room was indeed not how I remembered it at all. Tiny, white snowflakes were lazily drifting from the ceiling to the ground, coating every single blade of grass. The chocolate river and waterfall were still very much alive, but the chocolate was a lighter shade of brown due to the strange snowflakes that melted on contact, mixing in with the chocolate.

"Wow," I whispered, just loud enough so that Charlie could hear me. "This place is even more incredible than it was before."

Charlie warmly smiled at me, and he led me over the threshold into the Chocolate Room.

"As I'm sure you remember, Veruca," he told me, "everything in this room is edible. The snowflakes you see are actually made from icing sugar. However, it has special properties so that it won't stick to you or your clothes, and it can even neutralize certain odors. Try going back to the Entrance Hall and then smell yourself." I turned around and backtracked to the long, drab hallway. I then took a long, deep breath through my nose, and I nearly gasped upon noticing something extraordinary: the very last traces of garbage that used to linger around me each second had vanished. I quickly ran back towards the Chocolate Room to meet up with Charlie.

"You were right," I said excitedly. "I don't smell like rubbish anymore!"

"These special snowflakes of ours are a top-secret recipe, just like our Everlasting Gobstoppers," Charlie said humbly. "Unlike the Everlasting Gobstoppers, however, they will never be sold commercially. Their only purpose is to decorate the Chocolate Room during the winter. Once spring approaches, the Chocolate Room will return to the way it was before, where you could see the fresh, green swudge again."

"But Charlie," I interjected, "the tour took place during the middle of winter, and there wasn't any snow in this room back then."

"Since my family moved into the factory, Veruca, we decided to change the look of the Chocolate Room according to the weather outside. For example, when there are thunderstorms outside, you could actually hear the thunder, and strobe lights around the room will simulate flashes of lightning. However, the system doesn't produce rain, nor does it simulate tornadoes, for reasons that should be all too obvious. Now, come along. You're going to be amazed at what I'll show you next."

Charlie took my hand and led me across the meadow towards a small, dilapidated cottage near the center of the Chocolate Room.

"This, Veruca, is a replica of my family's home. Our old home was too structurally unsound for us to move it directly into the factory, so the Oompa Loompas built a near-exact replica of our house inside the Chocolate Room. In case you're wondering, you might be expecting me to sleep on a luxurious bed somewhere deep within the factory, like Mr. Wonka, but I chose to sleep in this house, along with the rest of my family."

"May I ask why you said 'near-exact', Charlie?" I inquired.

"I'm happy to know that you're so eager to learn more about me and my family," Charlie said with a smile. "You've come a long way since I last saw you. Anyway, I said 'near-exact' because there are some differences in this home's construction. For starters, there's a wooden spiral staircase that leads up to the loft where I sleep, whereas in the old house, there were just makeshift stairs that weren't necessarily safe to climb. We have all the latest and greatest appliances for our kitchen, a large, flat-panel TV, and even a new bed for my four grandparents. With the exception of the crooked walls that you likely saw during my interview on TV, everything is _totally_ different inside."

"Wow," I whispered, too stunned to say anything else. Charlie took this moment to clear his throat, and I patiently waited for him to speak.

"Would you like me to take you on a boat ride down the river, for old time's sake?" he asked me. "I can easily arrange that for us."

"Yes, I'd love to," I replied, and a grin began to spread across my face. I followed him towards the river bank, which wasn't far away at all from the Bucket family's new house. Before long, the steady banging of a large drum began to resonate throughout the room, and I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me as the bright-pink, Viking-style boat that I rode two years ago inched its way around a corner towards us. Fifty Oompa Loompas were working together in perfect sync to row the boat towards us, and once they brought the boat to a halt, they all burst into peals of laughter, for seemingly no reason.

"Are they laughing because of the cocoa beans again?" I asked Charlie. "I remember them laughing at us during the tour."

Charlie let out a stifled laugh as he looked at me. "Who _knows_ what they could be laughing at? Then again, Mr. Wonka did tell us that chocolate contains a special property that triggers the release of endorphins, and it gives one the feeling of being in love." He winked at me as he said the word _love_ , and I hastily turned my back to him to hide the fact that I was blushing. "Is something wrong, Veruca?"

"No, it's nothing," I replied, profusely shaking my head. "Let's not worry about it."

"Well then," Charlie said, gesturing towards a pair of empty seats at the front of the boat, "let's climb aboard. You're going to love this... just love it."

 **Author's note: I'm terribly sorry about the long wait! I hope that this chapter was worth it. As for "Next in Line", I will be publishing the next chapter on September 22, so stay tuned for that! :)**


	5. The Boat Ride

Chapter 5 - The Boat Ride

 **Author's note: Hi, everyone! Sorry about the long wait! Since I was working on Chapter 23 of Next in Line (which I published a couple of weeks ago), I didn't have any time to work on this story, and I know that some of you have been waiting for an update for quite a long time. Well, here it is! Anyway, I'll respond to your reviews now.**

 **Guest, while it is true that almost everything in the Chocolate Room is edible, the Bucket family's house isn't, although maybe it should have been! Who knows?**

 **TheIndividualist, I'm glad you liked it! Of course, you already read the latest update to Next in Line, so you don't have to worry about that any longer.**

 **Softkitty55, I'm glad you enjoyed reading about the Chocolate Room! I thought that having Charlie sleep in the replica of the Bucket family's old house suited his character a lot more, since he was a very humble kid in the 2005 movie. Also, you'll find out how the boat ride will go during this chapter!**

 **JOHNHAMMOND1993, I know this response is very outdated now, but I hope you were okay during Hurricane Irma. You'll find out how Veruca feels about Charlie as the story continues.**

 **Atarya QueenofEgypt, thanks for your feedback! I'm sorry that I haven't been participating in our roleplay for a while. I'll gladly resume it if you wish to do so.**

 **starwolf626, the update is here!**

 **Emma Hill, thank you for the review, as well as the other reviews you left on my stories as well as others' works. Now, on with the story! :D**

~Charlie's POV~

"Wow, this is almost exactly as I remember it," Veruca said as the Oompa Loompas began to row us down the river. "I'm enjoying the ride a lot more this time, since my so-called 'best friend' isn't here to annoy me any longer."

"You mean Violet, right?" I asked her, and she nodded.

"We were actually faking it when we said we were going to be best friends at the start of the tour," Veruca admitted. "I vividly remember that fateful moment when Violet grabbed the stick of gum from that machine in the Inventing Room, like a moth driven to a flame. She thought she was a winner, when she clearly wasn't. I bet that if she hadn't been immobilized upon turning into a blueberry, she would have wanted to maul me like a raging bull. Then again, she did have a black belt in karate, from what I remember seeing on the telly." I nodded in response before turning to watch the Oompa Loompas, specifically the lone worker who was rhythmically pounding the large drum at the opposite end of the boat. Even though I have been working with the Oompa Loompas for two years, I was still as amazed by their musical abilities as I was during the tour, when I saw them for the first time. Suddenly, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder, and I found myself gazing into Veruca's eyes once again.

"Charlie," she said, pointing towards an upcoming bend in the river, "I have a feeling we're going back into that tunnel!" I failed to notice that we had already floated past the waterfall, and we were indeed approaching the tunnel that served as a quick (and fun) way to descend to the factory's underground rooms.

"You're right, Veruca. Full speed ahead!" I told the Oompa Loompas, who began to row more vigorously than before. The boat rounded a slight bend in the river, and darkness swallowed us as we entered the tunnel. I leaned towards Veruca and whispered in her ear, "This time, I won't tell them to switch on the lights."

Veruca tightly squeezed my hand just before the boat plummeted down a huge drop in total blackness. Her ear-piercing screams echoed throughout the pitch-black tunnel, and the wind tickled our faces as we gained more and more speed with each passing second. After a few sudden turns, the boat quickly decelerated as it entered an underground lake of chocolate. We slowly floated past a trio of round doors that were labeled: "CLOTTED CREAM", "COFFEE CREAM", and "HAIR CREAM".

"I see you like to lock in that moisture as well," Veruca said as she looked at my hair, which I had styled to match that of Mr. Wonka.

"I sure do," I replied as we neared the fourth door, and it was wide open. "By the way, I'm sure you'll remember what's in this room up ahead."

As we passed by this door, I watched as a cow was being whipped by a group of Oompa Loompas with whips in their hands.

"Whipped cream, right?" Veruca asked, and I grinned at her in response. "I remember saying before how that didn't make any sense, but at least now I've accepted the fact that Willy has a very creative mind, and so do you."

"Thanks for the compliment, Veruca, but I really don't like to brag about it," I said. "I'm definitely more humble than Mr. Wonka, and that's not a bad thing at all."

Veruca opened her mouth to reply, but she was startled as the boat violently lurched sideways.

"Hang on!" I shouted. "We're entering the rapids again!" The boat was moving even faster than before, and the Oompa Loompas were rowing furiously to keep the vessel on course. Strobe lights and lasers danced all around us as we rocketed past more doors and swiftly dodged the concrete columns that supported the ceiling. After one final drop, we entered another lake of chocolate, except this one was even larger and more cavernous than the last. At the opposite side of the lake, there was a single round door which was labeled: "INVENTING ROOM".

"I hope you don't mind, but we will have to walk through the Inventing Room again to get to the next corridor," I told Veruca. "There are some other rooms that I want to show you, which you haven't seen during the first tour."

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Veruca replied with a smile. "I wouldn't mind seeing the Inventing Room one more time. Then again, I'm sure that more new candies are being made in there, am I right?"

"Oh, yes," I said, smiling with glee. "You'll get to see our very latest and greatest creations. Of course, none of the candies from the previous tour will be seen, since they've appeared on store shelves a while ago, including the gum that Violet tried last time." Veruca glanced at me with a worried look on her face. "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe now. None of our customers around the world have been turned into blueberries."

Once we reached the door, I shouted, "Stop the boat!" The Oompa Loompas jammed their oars into the river to bring the pink boat to a halt, and we stepped onto a metal platform. "Are you ready, Veruca?"

"You bet I am, Charlie," she replied. I turned the door's vault-like handle to unlock it, and it quietly swung to the side to reveal the new-and-improved Inventing Room.

 **Author's note: I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! What kind of new candies would you like to see in the Inventing Room? Feel free to make some suggestions, and I'll include a few of them in the next chapter! Oh, and it's also my birthday today! :D**


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